Welcome to the 2011 season

LiDarral Bailey and Mary
Hardin-Baylor look to stay in the hunt for the top seed in the
South Region. Mary Hardin-Baylor athletics photo

Greetings! Welcome to the first edition of this year’s
Around the South column. This is the fourth season that I have
written the column which covers the American Southwest Conference,
the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference and independents
Huntingdon and LaGrange.

If you are like me, you are excited as Saturday kicks off
another season of following Division III football. I hope to bring
you plenty of stories about the most interesting players, coaches
and teams in the region. If you are new to following football where
the players aren’t on scholarship or making millions, beware.
You may soon find yourself as obsessed as many others who frequent
this site and spent Saturday nights browsing the D-III scoreboard
and voicing your options on Post Patterns.

What does a newbie need to know?

Well, in the ASC, expect Mary Hardin-Baylor to be in the title
hunt as always. With nine conference titles, the Crusaders are
looking for “one for the other thumb” in 2011 to quote
ASC post board contributor.

They should have plenty of competition. Louisiana College (7-3),
was maybe three plays away from taking the ASC title and finishing
undefeated last season. It was the Wildcats who knocked off
perennial bridesmaid Hardin-Simmons in the final week of 2010 and
might have cost the Cowboys an at-large playoff berth.

McMurry and East Texas Baptist each gave the Cru a fight for
their lives last season and hope to the make some noise.
Don’t forget Mississippi College either. The Choctaws, who
return a senior quarterback and all-region running back Steven
Knight, who missed most of last season with an injury, tied for the
ASC title in 2009 handing UMHB its only conference loss since
2005.

And in the SCAC, it will be wide open this season, with Centre,
Millsaps, Trinity, Birmingham-Southern and maybe even Austin
chasing the conference’s final automatic playoff berth.

Both Huntingdon and LaGrange, who have made playoff appearances
in recent years face the tough schedules common to most D-III
independents. They face a tough road, but they’ve both
surprised folks in the past.

What’s different since last season?

For me, personally, a lot has changed. My wife, Amy, and I
welcomed our third child and first boy -- Sean Patrick -- in May.
And at the rate he is growing, I am sure I’ll have him ready
to play linebacker for somebody in about 18 years. More recently, I
experienced my first earthquake and a hurricane all in one
week.

And like forces of nature, much has changed the complexion of
the conferences that this column covers. The biggest change was the
announcement of the breakup of the SCAC following the 2011-12
school year. This will leave Texas schools Austin and Trinity as
independents after this fall (in football, anyway), while five
football-playing schools in the conference form the Southern
Athletic Association.

In addition, two-time defending conference champion, DePauw has
left the SCAC to join the North Coast Athletic Conference in
2012-13. (They’ll be an independent this season.) Rhodes and
Sewanee have new head coaches too.

In the ASC, McMurry will begin its final season as a conference
member before moving up to Division II provisional status next
year. The school in south Abilene as has a new mascot for the first
time in years. They are now the War Hawks, after several nameless
seasons since giving up Indians, due to the NCAA sensitivity
mandate about a decade ago.

As for our independents, LaGrange has found a new home as well.
The Panthers, Georgia’s only D-III football-playing school,
will join the USA South next year.

The following is a quick look at this weekend’s opening
games and a look at the Around the South top 10 games of 2011
preseason edition.

This week’s big games

Millsaps at Mississippi College: The
annual “Backyard Brawl” is one of three
inter-conference match ups between SCAC and ASC schools this
weekend. Throw the two Jackson-area schools together on a Saturday
night before a crowd approaching 10,000 people, and there might not
be a better atmosphere for football anywhere in the country.
Intensity will be high and though the Choctaws have won the last
two meetings, it has only been by seven points. Both teams return
talented senior quarterbacks in Tommy Reyer for the Choctaws and
Garrett Pinciotti for the Majors.

East Texas Baptist at Wesley: The Tigers will
be traveling to Dover, Del., to take on two-time defending regional
champ Wesley. ETBU quarterback Sed Harris, who rushed and passed
for over 1,000 yards each last season, will face a tough test in a
Wolverines defense that ranked No. 1 in the country statistically
in 2010. The Tigers are hoping to move up from the middle of the
ASC pack and this game could be a good indicator to see if they are
for real. They have their first full set of seniors recruited by
coach Mark Sartain and his staff. I will here to see this game, as
I begin my eighth year broadcasting Wesley games on WDEL Radio
1150.

Coe at Hardin-Simmons: The Cowboys begin their
usual murderous nonconference schedule against a Coe team that
reached the playoffs for the second year in a row last season and
returns 23 starters. First year head coach Jesse Burleson, who
takes over for retired Jimmie Keeling, must replace the dynamic
passing duo of quarterback Justin Feaster and receiver ZaVious
Robbins.

Centre at Hanover: The Colonels travel to the
2010 HCAC runner-up to open the season. It is the first of
two tough non-conference opponents for Centre. Last season, the
Panthers won 28-27 by going for two in overtime.

McMurry at Stephen F. Austin: The War Hawks
face a tough task on Thursday night against a team entering the
season ranked 14th in the preseason in D-I FCS. The Lumberjacks
have won the past two Southland Conference titles. Job one in this
game for McMurry is to keep senior quarterback Jake Mullin
healthy.

Belhaven (1-0) at Louisiana College: The
Wildcats open with the NAIA Blazers, who already have a win under
their belt after defeating Texas College last week. LC lost a tight
one to the Blazers 41-34 on a late touchdown pass in last
season’s opener.

Birmingham-Southern at LaGrange: Statistically,
this one broke down fairly even in last year’s 28-19 BSC
victory. Both teams have the same nickname and the Georgia
variety holds a 2-1 series advantage in three games that have all
been close.

Trinity at Howard Payne: Trinity need overtime
last season to knock off a Yellow Jacket team that struggled last
season. HPU hopes to improve its chances by installing the triple
option.

Huntingdon at Maryville: This game wasn’t
close last season as the Hawks prevailed 54-3 at home. Scoring that
many will be tougher on the road this season, but Huntingdon has
shown it can move the ball on almost anyone in D-III over the past
couple years.

SulRoss State at Western New
Mexico: On paper, it looks like a good opportunity for the
Lobos to compete against a Division II team that edged them 35-32,
last September. They do have to replace quarterback Monte Morales
though.

Earlham at Sewanee: The Tigers gained their
only win last season against the Indiana school. First-year coach
Tommy Laurendine will unveil Sewanee’s new triple option
scheme.

Games to watch for 2011

Huntingdon at Birmingham-Southern, Sept. 10:
The lone D-III football playing schools in the football-crazy state
of Alabama will battle for the Wesley Cup. The Panthers hope to be
players in SCAC race this season. It is their chance to earn an
automatic bid after four years of provisional status. Huntingdon is
still looking for a conference home. But make no mistake this one
is for bragging rights in D-III’s version of the Iron
Bowl.

Hardin-Simmons at Williamette, Sept. 10:
Don’t loved it when to two top teams from different parts of
the country square off in a nonconference game? The Cowboys do it
for a second straight week. If they can both of these at least an
at-large (Pool C) bid becomes more likely.

McMurry at Mary Hardin-Baylor, Sept. 17:
McMurry coach Hal Mumme and his War Hawks were picked second in the
preseason ASC coaches poll. They’ll get a shot at the
conference’s top dog after opening in consecutive weeks
against D-I FCS competition. Expect them to either be ready for the
team speed of the Crusaders or beat up after playing up a couple
levels. The game features a great matchup in different styles with
power of UMHB led by junior quarterback LaDarral Bailey and the Air
Raid offense triggered by War Hawk senior Jake Mullin.

Washington and Lee at Centre, Sept. 17: This is
a nice early season matchup for the Colonels against a 2010 playoff
team and defending ODAC champ. If Centre can out-rank the Generals,
it is great-looking win for a playoff resume.

Trinity (Texas) at Millsaps, Sept. 24:
The Tigers had their first losing season in 18 years in 2011. They
have also lost three games in a row to the Majors since the
“Mississippi Miracle” back in 2007. If Trinity is going
to make a statement, this is the week that they need to do it.
Trinity quarterback Nykolas McKissic could show he is among the
elite in the conference if he can lead his team to a win on the
road here.

Mary Hardin-Baylor at Hardin-Simmons, Sept. 24:
The Cowboys have not beaten the Cru in nine tries dating to 2004,
which includes a couple of playoff losses. If HSU is going to win
the ASC and get the bridesmaid label off its back, it happens
during this week.

LouisianaCollegeat
Mary Hardin-Baylor, Oct. 1: The Wildcats hope avenge a
38-34 loss that ended in the Crusader red zone with an
interception. Meanwhile, if UMHB wins this one and has defeated HSU
and McMurry the previous two weeks, everyone else will be playing
for second place again.

Centre at Millsaps, Oct. 29: The two preseason
favorites for the SCAC title meet in a game that could determine
who wins it. The Colonels, led by dynamic senior quarterback Tyler
Osterman and running backs Jonathan Pinque and Monte Scotton, hope
to wash away two seasons of disappointment. The Majors hope to
clinch their fifth title in six seasons.

Hardin-Simmons at McMurry, Oct. 29: This
matchup of crosstown rivals could have ASC title or Pool C (at
large) playoff implications. Of course, I’m sure the War
Hawks are sick of hearing how they haven’t beaten the Cowboys
since the early 1960s, as well.

Hardin-Simmons at Louisiana College, Nov. 12:
This matchup could determine the ASC title or a Pool C bid (at
large) for the playoffs. Last season, the Wildcats had never beaten
HSU before 2009. Now they’ve won the last two. I am sure the
Cowboys weren’t too pleased to have the playoff hopes dashed
in coach Jimmie Keeling’s final game last fall.

Have a great Labor Day weekend. Coming up the next few weeks,
I’ll tell you how many of the SCAC’s football coaches
feel about the breaking up of the conference. Since ETBU is in the
town I live this weekend, I expect to do something on them too. And
late, I’ll tell you about an SCAC running back who has
overcome a lot of adversity to become not a great football player,
but a true hero.

Feel free to send me your comments at jason.bowen@d3sports.com. You can also find me on
Facebook and Twitter (@D3Jason).

Justin Goldberg is a newspaper copy editor and freelance writer in southwest Virginia. Originally from New York, he played Division III basketball in that colder region of the country, but moved to Virginia in 2008 to earn his M.F.A. in creative writing. He has written for multiple publications, including C-VILLE Weekly and The Roanoke Times. He is happy to join D3football.com for his first season as the Around the South columnist.2013 columnist: Andee Djuric2012 columnist: Kyle Robarts2008-11 columnist: Jason Bowen